Hereafter
by gone sparky
Summary: this story takes place at the beginning of season three. around episode four, i am become death. i'd class it a Elle and Peter story of what could have happened in the future. hope you all like it.
1. Chapter 1

Hereafter

**Hereafter**

Ch 1

Peter Petrelli took in a massive gulp of air.

His heart began pounding in his ear drums, a sign of life.

Peter had returned.

The bloodied bullet holes in his chest began to close but as he then noticed there was something more shocking to be seen.

He was inside a white walled room, lying on a hard metal operating table.

There was another one beside him, empty.

Someone had been there, recently though, the loose restraints said it all.

And so did the body sprawled on the floor.

Peter leapt down, the cool air only now starting to apply goose bumps to his half naked flesh.

"Nathan?" his brother was dead, head sliced open Sylar style.

Only it wasn't Sylar who had done it.

Peter shuddered as the sudden realization struck. "My fault," he whispered sadly.

"I have worked for this company my entire life, what am I supposed to do now?"

"I suppose you'll have to get yourself another life."

Elle Bishop stared at Angela Petrelli in disbelief.

_Maybe a little jolt would help change her mind, then again…_

Angela's attention was elsewhere now.

Elle reduced to little more than a second thought.

It was time to leave.

Elle stood on the sidewalk.

Her dad was dead, he home and job gone. Infact her entire life as she knew it was over.

Elle was 24 years old. It should have been starting.

So what now? Elle had never felt so lost, so alone.

"I know I'll go back and kill Sylar while he's down." She patted her bandaged forehead.

"No that won't work. I could get Angela out of the way though. Just a little bit of persuasion, take over the company and, no that won't work either.

Peter will probably get mad at mad. So what do I do?"

Her eyes were glassy, a single tear rolled down Elle's cheek. She brushed it aside, struggling to keep her composure.

A sleek black Hyundai rolled into the car park.

Not wanting to seem out of place, Elle moved on leaving Primatech behind her.

"Elle?" The voice was familiar, she turned.

Peter Petrelli had wound down the driver's window and was looking straight at her.

Elle felt a burst of joy.

"Peter, I…what are you doing here?"

"I'm looking for somebody."

"Oh," Elle slunk towards him. "Anyone I know?" she smiled her trademark smile. Being somewhere between seductive and innocent?

Then she froze.

This was not the Peter she knew. His dark hair swept back, leather jacket, serious eyes and a scar embedded into his face.

A swift line starting at the left side of his forehead and running diagonal between both eyes and the bridge of his nose.

"You're…" Elle faltered.

"I'm looking for Peter, the other me."

"Oh."

"Have you seen him?"

"No."

Peter struck the steering wheel and murmured something in coherently.

"Peter?" Elle cautioned.

"What?'  
"Are you…"

"I've got to find him; the whole course of history depends on it. I never should have taken him there in the first place. More dead butterflies."

"The future, you mean?"  
"Yeah." Peter began to wind the window back up. And Elle panicked not wanting to be alone.

"Peter, wait!"

"What is it?"

"Can I… can I come with you? I mean I could help you look… for him?" she finished clumsily.

"Elle it's too dangerous, it's… you don't know what you're asking. I'm sorry."

"But…"

"It's not a joy ride, Elle."

"Joy ride? Peter your mum's taken over the company, Sylar killed my dad and I've got nowhere else to go. And…no one else to turn to, so…" she hesitated suddenly small and shy. "Can I come with you, or not?"

Peter's dark eyes studied her carefully, there was an awkward silence.

Finally he replied, "Sure, why not."

"Yay!" Elle leapt with excitement and hurried over to the car.

"Hold on tight," Peter warned as she slid in beside him."

Then Peter, Elle and the car simply vanished.


	2. Chapter 2

Hereafter

Ch 2

_Smack!_

The Hyundai struck gravel and sped off down the road.

Peter's full concentration was now drawn to the traffic of New York City.

"So you can teleport cars now," Elle marveled. "Cool."

Scanning the sights, around them Elle checked the buildings, flashing lights and fast cars. It seemed nothing had changed.

"So how far into the future are we?"

"Four years."

"And nothing's really…"

"Look up."

Elle did so as four men in crisp business suits flew overhead.

"Ok, maybe it's a little different."

Peter's eyes seemed to darken.

"Everyone who can afford it can have abilities."

Elle felt her heart sink. She brought out a fragment of her power, and watched as the thin blue sparks ran across her hands.

"So everyone's special, or rather no one is." She allowed the sparks to exit back through her palms.

Peter didn't reply.

Instead he turned off into a side street.

"So what's up, Mr. Serious?" Elle leant her head on his hardened shoulder.

Peter slowed the car.

"Someone from your time has created a serum that can give abilities to anyone. I told Peter, the other me that we might be able to get help from Sylar."

"Whoa, hang on cowboy," Elle sat up. "Sylar?"

"He's different now Elle."

"Yeah sure, bet he's a bundle of fun."

Peter smirked and Elle fell all over him as she noticed it, immediately forgetting the seriousness of the situation.

"You smiled, you smiled. I got you to smile."

"Elle?"

She wrapped her arms around Peter and hugged him.

"Elle."

"You smiled, smiley. The world's a better place." She was grinning stupidly, swaying from side to side like an excited child.

"Elle!" She stopped, arm still wrapped around his waist.

"Yeah?"

"I was trying to tell you something." Peter shook his head in disbelief.

"Sorry Pete, but I never paid much attention in school. Actually I don't think I even went to school."

"Elle!" Peter disentangled himself from her.

"Sylar is not the problem this time. It's someone…else. When I brought _Peter_ here, Claire and her gang showed up and killed me."

"Huh?"

"She had the Haitian, Peter got away but I think, I think he's got Sylar's power."  
"And that's not good is it?" Elle sighed and blew a loose strand of Blonde hair from her eyes. "So Claire wants to kill you. Again. Um just curious is she one of the good guys or one of the bad ones, now?"

"She thinks she's doing the right thing."

Elle glanced at Peter, he looked genuinely upset.

"So we're the bad guys," Elle finished.

"Not for much longer."

Peter and Elle both whirled in the direction of the new voice.

A dark haired version of the cheerleader, Knox and the Haitian were crossing the opposite side of the road and walking towards them.

Elle jerked her arm out, but the gesture seemed ridiculous.

Not one spark emerged. "Not cool."

She shot Peter a look of terror.


	3. Chapter 3

Hereafter

Ch 3

Peter hesitated before putting the car into gear.

He slammed his foot on the accelerator and they took off.

Claire shooting wildly after them.

"Get down!" Peter ordered as stray bullets hit the windows, shattered glass rained down.

Elle sank in her seat and closed her eyes.

The Hyundai spiraled into the main street, shooting through a red light as Peter nailed the accelerator again.

Suddenly he gripped Elle's hand; she almost zapped him in fright.

"We need to loose the car!" He yelled.

Then without warning, Peter flung open the door and leapt out.

Elle screamed as she was wrenched from her seat, the ground flew up at her.

The car struck a light pole.

The front of the vehicle smashed inwards, shredded metal.

"I'm dead," Elle thought.

She looked up; Peter was still holding her hand.

But they were miles off the ground.

"Are we? Oh my gosh, I'm flying!"

Elle yelped with surprise and delight.

Peter laughed, "Took you a while."

Her blonde locks swam wildly around Elle's face.

She clutched Peter's hand tighter as panic set in.

"Ouch!" Peter yelped, "Easy Elle." His hand was turning purple.

"Put your arms around my shoulders."

She tensed, "But Peter…"

"I won't let you go."

Shakily Elle reached up, clutching his jacket. "Ok."

Peter glanced around as he steered further into the wind.

"I never realized how much I enjoy this."

"You should do it more often, then." Elle whispered.

"Better with two though," Peter stated but this time he was looking at her.

They flew North East, soaring towards the old Bennett house and to find Sylar.

Beneath the clouds but still flying high, Elle felt a rush of exhilaration and freedom. This was defiantly one superpower to enjoy.

"So why'd you go all macho and into biker clothing?" Elle asked after a while.

Peter sighed.

"Come on, I'm serious. Tell me?" Elle gave his shoulders a squeeze.

"I guess life's not so rosy after all."

"You mean four years ago was rosy, not for me but I wouldn't have thought it was for you either."

"_Rosier."_

"Oh."

He could have said more but the familiar aroma of death caught Peter off guard.

They glanced down.

"Oh no."  
The landscape was deserted, a barren wasteland as far as the eye could see.

Everything was burnt.

But not fire burnt, something closer to a nuclear explosion.

"Gosh, looks like you've made a real mess this time Peter." Elle teased, then hesitating added.

"Wait_ you_ didn't do it, did you?"


	4. Chapter 4

_Hereafter_

Ch 4

Elle clung tightly onto Peter's back as they struck the ground below, skidding to a halt.

"Well that was fun, let's do it again sometime." Elle smirked.

Peter nodded distractedly.

All that remained of anything nearby was charred bits of rubble.

A few remnants of wall still stood shakily, they reminded Elle of an ancient Colessieum in Rome. Not that she'd ever been.

"So who did this?" she queried.

"You know him as Sylar." Peter shook his head sadly and lowered his eyes to the ground.

"I thought he could control them now."

Elle frowned, "So um…do we know what happened to Sylar?"

"No."

"Great," she beamed and abruptly changed the subject.

"So we're still looking for you then. Well I suggest we split up and have a wander."  
"It's too dangerous Elle."

She cocked her head and pouted, "Pete anything or anyone that was here has become _one with the ground,_ look at this place."  
"Looks can be deceiving."

"You know your right." Elle lowered her voice very seriously. "I thought that with you having that scar you'd be a real square, but look at you. Such a big bundle of fun!"

Peter's brow deepened as he realized he was being made fun of.

"Come on Pete, I'll look left and you can look right or something. It's not as if I can't take care of myself."

Peter grimaced, rubbing a hand through his slicked dark hair.

"Fine," he giving up he dug into his jacket pocket and withdrew a slim, black cell phone.

He tossed it to Elle. "Call me the moment anything weird happens."

"I like weird."

"Elle…"

Elle rolled her eyes. "Call you, I got it."

Finally Peter's face broke into a smile again.

"Take care," he whispered suddenly pulling her in for an embrace. Then he jumped straight up into the air, shortly reduced to a tiny dot far above.

Elle blushed, he gave me a hug."

Peter kicked another stone out of his path.

"Hello?" he called again, but what was the point.

Sylar could well be dead. And what help would he be then.

_I killed my own brother, murdered Nathan twice. First future me and now…me. I never should have come here; I don't know why I even came back._

Peter took in a strong waft of smoke, something was still burning.

How many more people had died here and was he to blame for everyone one of them?

"Peter!"

He jumped and whirled round.

A slender, blonde haired young woman was racing towards him.

"Elle?"

"Oh Peter, we've been looking everywhere for you." She threw her arms around his neck.

"We?" Peter pulled away. "You're not with…"  
"Claire? Why would I be, miss pom pom can run her own cheer squad. I'm so glad you're ok."

Peter hesitated; _it was that feeling again, the ticking clock._

_He had to, had to…_

"Elle you have to go."

"What?"

"Get out of here!"

Elle took a step backwards, "Peter I just found you. Is everything…is everything ok?"

Peter smiled cunningly, no longer in control.

He raised his left hand, forefinger outstretched.

"Sure Elle," he began as a thin line drew across the young woman's forehead.

She screamed helplessly as her head was telekinetically cut open.

"Everything's fine." Peter whispered.


	5. Chapter 5

Hereafter

_Hereafter_

Ch 5

Peter sobbed miserably over the dead girl's body, beside himself with grief.

"I'm sorry Elle, I'm so so sorry."

_Instead of saving the world, I'm destroying it,_ he though to himself.

"Gotcha!"

Peter leapt up, casting a blue blot of electricity in the direction of the intruder.

_Peter _deflected it easily.

"I've been looking for you," said his scarred future self.

"I'm sorry, I've let you down."

"I know you took Sylar's power."

"That and more," Peter mumbled, he watch helplessly as his leather clad self bent over the still form, sprawled across the ground.

"Elle?"

"I'm sorry," Peter moaned.

"It's not her." Peter breathed; gently he closed the dead girl's eyes and looked up, troubled.

Peter shook his head, staring into his own dark eyes.

"What do you mean? It's Elle, Elle Bishop. I know it's her, I just killed her!"

"Yes, but it's not my Elle," Peter answered softly.

"What?"

"We have to find her, she's not far."

"That's it?"

"What is?"

"No lecture?"

"Why would I give you a lecture?"

"I don't know I just thought… I would."

Peter grabbed hold of his younger self, "Come on, let's go."

Elle wandered aimlessly throughout the remains of the Ghost town.

That's what she had decided to call it.

Every now and then she'd pat the pocket of her jeans, reassured that the cell phone was still there.

Even though nothing weird had happened, she felt like calling Peter anyway, out of sheer boredom.

Why had she even made the stupid suggest of splitting up, Elle didn't want to be alone.

"Oh well," she thought aloud, "It could be worse. It could be raining."  
A tumble weed skittered by and Elle shrugged. "So now I'm in a western movie."

She held her hand like a gun and zapped the object as it passed her.

Elle laughed.

"Oh this is no fun by myself, Peter where are you?"

She scanned the sky as she moved around a stone corner and stopped dead.

A man was approaching her and he wasn't Peter.

Elle swiveled in the dirt and bolted back the way she'd come.

"Elle?"

"Elle where are you going?"

She knew the voice, knew the face too. The man with the horn rimmed glasses.

Noah Bennett.

_What was he in this future, if Claire had turned evil how much worse could daddy be?_

Her heart pounding erratically inside her chest, Elle struggled to run as the harsh wind smacked into her, again and again.

But things were about to get much worse.

"You're very predictable," Claire muttered coldly as she and the Haitian came into view. Elle tensed, _this was not her day._

"What are you going to do, cheer me to death," Elle smirked but inside she was shaking.

Claire smiled back, that combined with the dyed black gothic hair; the look sent a shiver down Elle's spine.

Claire pulled out her gun. "I actually had something else in mind."

Elle sighed; _this was __**so**__ not her day._


	6. Chapter 6

_Hereafter_

Ch 6

"I'm not going to kill you Elle," Claire said as she lowered the gun slightly.

"You're bait for Peter, both of them."

"You seem to hate your uncle a lot," Elle replied she took a few steps back, subtly searching for a way out.

"Peter's not a nice guy anymore Elle."

"I'm not so nice either," Elle breathed.

She raised her hand, blue sparks trailing across her skin.

"Oh you won't get much further than that," the Haitian moved closer.

"Grab her," Claire ordered.

Elle broke into a run, but was tripped from behind, "Traitor!" Elle yelped as she was seized roughly and pulled back towards the cheerleader.

"I'm sorry," the Haitian said simply.

"You better be," Elle dug an elbow into the man's ribs and struggled for freedom, but he was too strong.

"Claire! Let her go!"

Noah Bennett stood grim faced staring at his daughter.

Elle watched on, slightly confused.

"Well look who it is?" Claire jeered.

"Please don't make this harder than it already is."

_So daddy's one of the good guys,_ Elle thought. _What else is new?_

"You can only leave with one of us dad, so who's it going to be?"

"Ok," Elle interrupted. "Sorry but I'm totally lost here, can we have a time out or something."

"Let me clear things up then, sis," Claire began.

"Dad here chose to adopt you a little while back, after you're daddy was murdered."

"I wanted to protect you," Noah explained. "Both of you, from Pinehearst."

"Pinehearst?"

"So you haven't heard of them yet." Noah fell silent.

Elle grinned mischievously and changed the subject, "So you got jealous Claire Bear. Jealous of me? Gosh I feel special."

Claire glowered at her, "Didn't take." The gun shook as she lifted it again.

"Maybe we shouldn't wait for the rest of the family to arrive…"

She turned the gun, but on Noah.

"No!" Elle screamed and time froze.

Peter landed lightly next to Claire, plucked the gun from her hand and waited.

Future Peter pummeled into the Haitian freeing Elle and…

"Whoa!" Elle fell hard in the dirt; she barely had a chance to register what had happened

When Noah took hold of her.

Claire scowled, obviously not pleased that Peter had taken her weapon.

Future Peter had began to flog the Haitian, madly. Striking him repeatedly before the dark skinned man had a chance to fight back.

But Peter was getting tired.

"Elle let's leave them, they've got it covered." Noah urged.

Elle stood her ground. "I can't, Peter brought me here and I'm leaving with him. I'm not the Elle you know."

"But you can be."

"Not yet."

Suddenly the Haitian came to his senses and flipped Peter.

Claire began to wrestle for control of the gun and all the while the Haitian was getting further away.

"I've got a shot," Elle exclaimed, both hands were buzzing with electricity.

Noah hesitated," Elle wait…"

She aimed in Claire's direction, but the Cheerleader saw it coming.

She swung Peter into the firing line, knocking him out cold.

"Woops," Elle whimpered as Claire took hold of the gun once more.

"Thanks Elle", she spun round and shot the leather clad Peter in the back of the head.


	7. Chapter 7

_Hereafter_

Ch 7

Elle was screaming over and over.

Shouting curses, crying everything verbally possible, but no sound was coming out.

She knew Peter was dead.

Truly dead, there was no coming back from this one.

Noah was holding her tightly, preventing Elle from running to him, from reducing Claire to ash, although Claire would probably shoot her dead first.

It didn't matter that much anymore, Elle had seen so much death in her lifetime, usually it didn't affect her but now…now she let it hurt.

Claire turned back to Elle and Noah, "So who's next?"

"How could you, he's your uncle, your flesh and blood!"

Claire frowned, "But I don't feel anything," she smiled coldly at her father, "Right dad?"

"Oh boy, you've got more daddy issues than me." Elle snarled through gritted teeth.

"Are you even human?"

"Like I said, I don't feel anything."  
"Feel this!" Peter roared as he rose up and struck Claire in the jaw, she blacked out.

The Haitian glanced from the dead Peter on the ground to the live one a few metres away.

He turned and fled.

Elle struggled free, rushing for the fallen hero.

Even as she reached Peter, turning him unto his back and hoping against hope, Elle knew it was too late.

His eyes were glazed, mouth half open, unmoving.

Elle gently kissed his forehead and closed his eye lids.

"I don't know what to say, I feel like this is all my fault."

"It's not your fault Elle," Peter said from behind. "It's mine."

Noah cleaned his glasses, "Don't start, you two."

"What are you going to do about her," Peter asked, changing the subject.

"Take her home, which is by the way where you two should be going. Back to your own time."

Elle wiped a tear from her eye, "As stupid as it sounds, I don't want to go back. At least here, I've got you. But back there I'm lost."  
Noah gave her a hug, "I'm sorry but this is just how it has to be."

Peter joined the embrace and Elle forced a smile.

"Cool, group hug," she sniffed and closed her eyes…

when she opened them she was back where she had started, the Primatech car park.

Elle handed Peter the cell phone. "I don't think I'll need this now."  
Peter took it reluctantly, "Where will you go?"

"I'll be around, probably causing trouble."  
"But will you be ok? Cuz I can…"

"Peter I don't think you're mum's into having friends over.

I'll be fine, I mean I can zap people into oblivion, and cause blackouts. Peter if I ever lost control of my ability like you I don't know what I'd do, something stupid I should think. Anyway the real question is will you be ok?"

"Sure, once I find Sylar and some answers." Peter turned to go and Elle suddenly pulled him into a hug. "Bye," she whispered.

Not knowing whether it would be the last embrace she might ever receive.

The end


End file.
